1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the craft of firefighting generally, and more specifically, to a combination of devices comprising an apparatus that can be mounted to conventional firefighting vehicles to quickly and powerfully vent the roofs of burning structures from a remote location, by punching through the roof using a pointed steel cylindrical object, filled with water for added weight, and dropped through the roof using the conventional extension ladder system from a standard firefighting vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fighting fires is inherently dangerous, due to the hazards of the flames themselves, as well as the heat, smoke and other noxious gases that are generated as byproducts of burning materials. One of the most hazardous facets of fighting a structural fire is the task of one or more firefighters having to climb atop and puncture the roof of the burning structure in order to vent the heat and gases within the building. Venting the gases and heat within the burning building is a critical step in containing, venting and combating the fire within. During a structural fire, heavy concentrations of heat, gases and smoke build up within the building, causing great risk of smoke inhalation, gas poisoning, and explosion to the non-evacuated inhabitants of the structure and to the firefighters themselves, not to mention damage to the property within the burning structure. Firefighter(s) presently, as they have in the past, accomplish this important roof venting procedure by exceedingly dangerous and primitive means. Specifically, one or more firefighters must mount, or be placed upon, the roof itself of the burning structure, and use strenuous manual techniques, such as with chainsaws, axes, picks and the like, to lance a hole in the roof of sufficient diameter to vent the gases, heat and smoke. U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,659, at p. 1, column 1, adequately describes the traditionally accepted means of venting such roofs through manual means:
Presently firemen labor strenuously with axes to open the roof of a burning building by chopping through the roof material. Frequently the roof material is made up of 4.times.8 panels of plywood covered with other layers of material covered with tar paper or shingles. Chopping through such roof panels with axes can take as long as three to five minutes to open up a sufficiently large vent opening.
Or, the assignees' U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,613 discloses a means by which the ladder on which the firefighter climbs atop the roof has "spread apart upper rails to provide clearance and working space for them to chop an opening in the roof of a burning house."
The assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,417 discloses a means of solving the problem by which buildings already have a vent pre-cut into the roof, such that in case of a fire, the vent can be opened remotely to save the firefighters the task of punching the roof materials themselves at the scene of the fire. But this invention is "preferably for use in high rise building," rather than pitched residential structures as is the instant invention. Further, unlike U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,417, the instant invention does not require the astronomical expense and effort that would be required for hundreds of millions of structure-owners nationwide to retrofit the structures to include a pre-vent system.
All prior art, such as the assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,659, and the assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,613, attempt to lessen the danger and difficulty of rooftop firefighters having to puncture the roofs of burning buildings. But none address the seminal problem with the roof venting process, namely the fact that the firefighter him- or herself must be physically present on the roof top to operate the roof venting equipment. Regardless of the type of tools and methods that are disclosed by art such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,659 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,613, all such devices and methods require the firefighters themselves to physically lance the roofing material from a position on the roof. The roof venting procedure is typically considered the most thrilling and perilous of the whole firefighting process [see, e.g., Fire Engineering Magazine, October 1996, Vol. 149, No. 10 (cover photograph taken by Robert E. Kirsch, showing an Englewood, N.J. firefighter atop the roof of a burning pitched private structure engulfed in smoke and flames, as he attempts to lance a hole through the roof using a chainsaw)]. There are several serious problems with this traditional method of venting the roofs of burning structures through manual means.
First and most importantly, manual venting techniques place the firefighter in great personal danger. The task of venting the roof of a burning building is uniformly viewed by firefighters as the most dangerous and unpredictable facet of combating a fire. The roof area is typically the most dangerous and unstable area of a burning structure, as great quantities of heat, gases, flames and smoke all push upward, seeking to break through the inner surface of the roof beneath the firefighter's feet. As the structural fire progresses, the flames and effects therefrom render the roof of the burning structure increasingly and unpredictably dangerous and unstable to the firefighter. Even mounting the roof can be dangerous, as the firefighter climbs up and onto the burning, unstable structure. Where possible, i.e., at earlier stages of the fire's incineration of the structure, the firefighter can sometimes ascend the roof using ladders affixed to a portion of the roof not engulfed in flames. Alternatively, the firefighter must climb dangerous structures to mount the roof, or must be placed onto the roof using aerial ladders from the firefighting truck. Then, as the firefighter mans tools and devices to physically hack away at several layers of dense roofing materials to penetrate the roof, sharp shards of roofing plywood, papers, nails and screws can themselves become dangerous projectiles, harming either the firefighter himself, or the critically important protective clothing or self contained breathing apparatus he wears. Finally, if/when the firefighter achieves his very purpose for being on the roof, i.e., by successfully lancing a hole through the roof material, heat, smoke, flames and gases can burst through the hole, often explosively, causing potentially serious injury or death to the firefighter.
Thus, the process whereby a firefighter attempts to vent the roof of a burning building subjects the firefighter to several deadly perils, including: injury while climbing insecure structures to reach the rooftop, smoke and gas inhalation, burning, heat injury, injury from breaking through the roof, injury from sharp protruding roofing debris, and explosion of gases beneath the roof surface.
Second, it can take a significant amount of time to vent the roof through the traditional manual techniques, even utilizing devices and methods such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,659. To safely place a live firefighter on the roof of the burning building often requires precise, complex and time consuming techniques. As described above, the firefighter must either ascend the roof using ladders affixed to a presumably unburned portion of the structure, or must climb dangerous portions of the structure itself, or be placed onto the roof using aerial ladders from the firefighting truck. Thereafter, as described above, the firefighter must actually lance the roof using tools and devices to physically hack through several layers of dense, sharp roofing materials. All of these protracted and unpredictable steps of the traditional roof venting process cost precious seconds, during which valuable property is lost, noxious conditions intensify, and the fire itself progresses to less manageable stages and proportions.
Third, the firefighter's valiant, strenuous and dangerous efforts may not even produce the most effective vent(s), due to the limitations of the firefighter's time and physical strength. Because the buildup of gases and smoke within the structure may require a large volume escape passageway from the building, or because the buildup does not necessarily occur evenly within the structure, it may be necessary to create a large holes, and/or numerous holes to provide the most efficient and effective vent(s), while still attempting to minimize unnecessary property damage. A firefighter, using manual techniques, is severely limited by both the strength a human can apply to the arduous task of punching through a portion of a roof designed to withstand great physical forces, and by the small window of time within which he or she can safely remain on the roof of the burning building. For these reasons, a firefighter lancing a single hole in a roof by manual means can provide insufficient area to provide a timely and effective vent, can be placed in the wrong portion of the roof, or can be insufficient/ineffective in a situation requiring several holes in a particularly compartmentalized structure.